Ephesians 1: 17-21
Verse 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people,
We talked a bit yesterday about how Paul was praying for his friends to go deeper in their faith. In our verse today we see how Paul goes into detail with his prayers for his friends. This pastor knew blanket prayers were not what Jesus prayed for His followers and so those weren’t acceptable for his prayers for fellow believers.
Paul prays his friends’ eyes would be opened to the fullness of God and His Gospel. He knew how easy it is to get side tracked and miss all the Lord is wanting to do in our lives. When left to ourselves we more often than not allow our hearts to draw us to things and people who make us happy. We don’t take into account if that is what the Lord has for us or not because we make the item our focus. There are even times when our prayers reflect the desired item more than the One we are praying to.
This traveling pastor wanted his dear friends in Ephesus to be able to see how it was God who saved them by His choice and not their choosing God on their own accord. The whole point was they needed to know it was all about God and His desires versus man and his desires. Paul wanted to make sure his friends knew the confident hope which is ours through Christ Jesus. This hope was something He called us to.
In this hope we are being called to is the inheritance which God has promised His chosen people. To say this was a rich inheritance would be the biggest understatement in history. God has chosen to lavish us with all the blessings He can think up. He has planned good things for us all the days of our lives, trials to help us grow, and His power.
This power is the same power which raised Jesus from the dead. The very power which killed death, keeping it from having any control over us, brings us life. And not just any life, it brings us eternal life, a life with our Lord and Savior both now and forever. That is something worth praising Him for!
Making It Personal
What does it mean to you that you are given the same power that raised Christ from the dead? Do you have confident hope in your inheritance? Who do you pray will have this confident hope?
Making It Personal Kids
What would it look like to grow deeper in your faith in Jesus? Do you know deep down inside that Jesus loves you and died for your sins? How much power do you think was needed to raise Jesus from the dead?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for listening to our prayers for one another. Give us the wisdom to know how best to pray for others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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